Process for manufacturing a handle for a bag made of paper or another material

ABSTRACT

The process for manufacturing an integrally-formed handle for a bag includes the steps of turning an edge of a sheet of bag stock on itself a predetermined number of times to form a multiple-thickness handle on the sheet stock, while leaving an adjacent portion of the sheet stock unfolded. The opposed side edge portions of the handle are then folded onto and overlying the unfolded portion of the sheet stock. The folded side edge portions are then glued onto the unfolded portion of the sheet stock. The central portion of the handle is then severed from the unfolded portion of the sheet stock. The unfolded portion of the sheet stock is then folded and glued into a bag enclosure with the handle residing adjacent a side of the bag defining a top opening.

This application is a national stage application, according to ChapterII of the Patent Cooperation Treaty. This application claims thepriority date Oct. 1,1993 for French Pat. No. 93 11979.

TECHNICAL FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is a process for manufacturing ahandle for lifting and carrying a bag made of paper or other material.

The handles of paper bags are most often mounted on the body of the bagby various fastening processes. This technique is expensive because thepart forming the handle is added by fastening during a secondmanufacturing phase. To eliminate this disadvantage, it was suggested inU.S. Pat. No. 4,221,321 that the handle of a bag be constructed bygluing a reinforcing strip along its edge, then cutting this edge ateach side, folding the tabs cut out this way at a right angle and gluingthem on the sheet forming the bag, and finally making a rectangularcutting below the middle part, the cut-out part being folded upwardagainst the reinforcing strip.

This precess still entails the drawback of using an additional part, thereinforcing strip in this case, which must be glued close to the edge ofthe bag before the cutting and gluing operations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is based on the idea of constructing the handle of a bagfrom the single piece forming the latter, thus making it an integralpart of the bag.

According to the invention, the handle is formed by folding or winding,as well as cutting and gluing operations carried out directly on thesheet forming the bag without the addition of any supplementary part.

Because of the innovative folding and cutting concept, the process canbe carried out on one machine and in a continuous way.

The process according to the invention basically consists of folding orrolling the upper edge of the sheet used to make the bag on itself acertain number of times, making two cutting lines along said rolled orfolded edge on both sides of its middle region, folding the side partscut out from said rolled or folded edge downward at a right angle andgluing them to said sheet, and then making a cut in said middle partimmediately below said rolled or folded edge.

According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the process formanufacturing an integrally-formed handle for a bag includes the stepsof turning an edge of a sheet of bag stock on itself a predeterminednumber of times to form a multiple-thickness handle on the sheet stock,while leaving an adjacent portion of the sheet stock unfolded. Theopposed side edge portions of the handle are then folded onto andoverlying the unfolded portion of the sheet stock. The folded side edgeportions are then glued onto the unfolded portion of the sheet stock.The central portion of the handle is then severed from the unfoldedportion of the sheet stock. The unfolded portion of the sheet stock isthen folded and glued into a bag enclosure with the handle residingadjacent a side of the bag defining a top opening.

According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the processincludes the step of severing the opposed side edge portions of thehandle from the unfolded portion of the sheet stock before the side edgeportions are folded onto the unfolded portion of the sheet stock.

According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the step ofturning the sheet stock on itself includes the step of folding the sheetstock.

According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the stepof turning the sheet stock on itself includes the step of rolling thesheet stock.

According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the stepof folding the side edge portions of the handle onto and overlying theunfolded portion of the sheet stock includes the step of folding theside edge portions at a right angle onto the unfolded portion of thesheet stock.

According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the stepof folding the side edge portions of the handle onto and overlying theunfolded portion of the sheet stock includes the steps of first severingthe side edge portions from the unfolded portion of the sheet stock, andthen folding the severed side edge portions onto the unfolded portion ofthe sheet stock at a right angle to the central portion of the handle.

According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, thesheet stock is paper or plastic film.

According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the processincludes the steps of turning an edge of a sheet of bag stock on itselfa predetermined number of times to form a multiple-thickness handle onthe sheet stock, while leaving an adjacent portion of the sheet stockunfolded. Two pairs of attachment portions of the handle are thensevered from the unfolded portion of the sheet stock, while leavingfirst and second central portions of the handle separated by two of theattachment portions of the handle connected to the unfolded portion ofthe sheet stock. The severed pairs of attachment portions of the handleare then folded onto and overlying the adjacent unfolded portion of thesheet stock. The folded attachment portions of the handle are then gluedonto the unfolded portion of the sheet stock. The first and secondcentral portions of the handle are then severed from the unfoldedportion of the sheet stock. The unfolded portion of the sheet stock isthen folded and glued into a bag enclosure having a pair of handlespositioned on opposite sides of the bag enclosure defining a top openingin registration with each other for being grasped together.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The attached drawing is provided to illustrate but in no way to limitthe scope of the invention.

FIGS. 1a-b and 2a-b show that the strength of the handle is a functionof the more or less high number of folds or windings carried out.

FIGS. 3a-b show the rolled edge cut to the desired dimension on the leftand right sides and the lateral parts folded at a right angle and gluedto the body of the bag.

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment without cutting in which the left andright parts are folded perpendicularly with respect to the part of therolled edge remaining in its initial position and giving an advanceoutline of the handle.

FIG. 5 and 6 illustrate variations that allow construction of a bag withtwo handles in the same sheet.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS AND BEST MODE

Referring now specifically to the drawings, a process for manufacturingan integrally-formed handle for a bag is illustrated and describedbelow. As shown in FIG. 1, a sheet of bag stock is first folded at itstop edge a predetermined number of times to form a multiple-thicknesshandle on the sheet stock, while leaving an adjacent portion of thesheet stock unfolded. Alternatively, the top edge of the bag stock isrolled as shown in FIG. 2.

Next, according to the technique illustrated in FIG. 3, the opposingside edge portions of the handle are cut from the unfolded portion ofthe sheet stock, and are then folded downwardly at an angleperpendicular to the folded or rolled edge of the sheet stock. The cutside edge portions are then glued onto the unfolded portion of the sheetstock, and the unfolded portion cut adjacent the folded or rolledportion to complete the formation of the handle. The unfolded portion ofthe sheet stock is subsequently folded and glued into a bag enclosure(not shown) with the multiple-thickness handle residing adjacent a sideof the bag defining a top opening.

According to a second technique shown in FIG. 4, the side edge portionsof the handle are not cut as in FIG. 3, but are folded inwardly at anangle perpendicular to the folded or rolled portion, and then glued tothe unfolded portion of the sheet stock. The unfolded portion of thesheet stock is then cut adjacent the folded or rolled portion tocomplete the formation of the handle.

According to a third technique shown in FIG. 5, the sheet stock isfolded or rolled at its top edge and cut to form two separatemultiple-thickness handles. After first folding or rolling the top edge,a pair of side edge portions for each handle are cut and then foldeddownwardly at an angle perpendicular to the folded or rolled portion ofthe sheet stock. The pairs of side edge portions are then glued to theunfolded portion of the sheet stock, and the sheet stock cut adjacentthe folded or rolled portions to complete the formation of the twohandles.

According to a fourth technique shown in FIG. 6, the sheet stock isfolded or rolled at its top edge, and then cut and further folded toform two separate multiple-thickness handles. After first folding orrolling the top edge, the sheet stock is cut vertically at a centerpoint of its top edge. A pair of side edge portions for each handle arethen folded inwardly at an angle perpendicular to the folded or rolledportion of the sheet stock. The pairs of side edge portions are thenglued to the unfolded portion of the sheet stock, and the sheet stockcut adjacent the folded or rolled portions to complete the formation ofthe two handles.

A process for manufacturing an integrally-formed handle for a bag isdescribed above. Various details of the invention may be changed withoutdeparting from its scope. Furthermore, the foregoing description of thepreferred embodiment of the invention and the best mode for practicingthe invention are provided for the purpose of illustration only and notfor the purpose of limitation--the invention being defined by theclaims.

We claim:
 1. A method for manufacturing an integrally-formed handle of abag, comprising the steps of:(a) turning an edge of a sheet of bag stockon itself a plurality of times about a longitudinal handle axis to froma multiple-thickness handle on the sheet stock, while leaving anadjacent portion of the sheet stock unfolded; (b) folding opposedmultiple-thickness side edge portions of the multiple-thickness handleonto and overlying the unfolded portion of the sheet stock so as todefine respective folded sides of the handle; (c) gluing the folded sideedge portions of the handle onto the unfolded portion of the sheetstock; and (d) severing the unfolded portion of the sheet stock along aline adjacent the handle to complete formation of the handle.
 2. Amethod for manufacturing a bag handle according to claim 1, andincluding the step of severing said opposed side edge portions of thehandle from the unfolded portion of the sheet stock before the side edgeportions are folded onto the unfolded portion of the sheet stock.
 3. Amethod for manufacturing a bag handle according to claim 1, wherein thestep of turning the sheet stock on itself comprises folding the sheetstock at a plurality of fold lines.
 4. A method for manufacturing a baghandle according to claim 1, wherein the step of turning the sheet stockon itself comprises rolling the sheet stock a plurality of times withoutforming fold lines.
 5. A method for manufacturing a bag handle accordingto claim 1, wherein the step of folding the side edge portions of thehandle onto and overlying the unfolded portion of the sheet stockincludes the step of folding the side edge portions onto the unfoldedportion of the sheet stock at a right angle relative to an end edgeportion of the sheet stock.
 6. A method for manufacturing a bag handleaccording to claim 1, wherein the step of folding the side edge portionsof the handle onto and overlying the unfolded portion of the sheet stockcomprises the steps of first severing the side edge portions from theunfolded portion of the sheet stock and then folding the severed sideedge portions onto the unfolded portion of the sheet stock at a rightangle to the central portion of the handle.
 7. A method formanufacturing an integrally-formed handle of a hag, comprising the stepsof:(a) turning an edge of a sheet of bag stock on itself a plurality oftimes about a longitudinal handle as to form a multiple-thickness handleon the sheet stock, while leaving an adjacent portion of the sheet stockunfolded; (b) severing two pairs of multiple-thickness attachmentportions of the handle from the unfolded portion of the sheet stock,while leaving first and second multiple-thickness central portions ofthe handle separated by two of the attachment portions of the handleconnected to the unfolded portion of the sheet stock; (c) folding thesevered pairs of multiple-thickness attachment portions of the handleonto and overlying the adjacent unfolded portion of the sheet stock soas to define respective folded sides of the handle; (d) gluing thefolded attachment portions of the handle onto the unfolded portion ofthe sheet stock; and (e) severing the first and second central portionsof the handle from the unfolded portion of the sheet stock.
 8. A methodfor manufacturing a bag handle according to claim 7, wherein the step ofturning the sheet stock on itself comprises folding the sheet stock at aplurality of fold lines.
 9. A method for manufacturing a bag handleaccording to claim 7, wherein the step of turning the sheet stock onitself comprises rolling the sheet stock a plurality of times withoutforming fold lines.
 10. A method for manufacturing a bag handleaccording to claim 7, wherein the step of folding the severed side edgeportions of the handle onto and overlying the unfolded portion of thesheet stock comprises folding the severed side edge portions at a rightangle to the central portion of the handle.